José García Antonio

José García Antonio

José García Antonio is a ceramicist from San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca, known as the artisan behind "Manos que Ven" (Hands That See). He lost his eyesight to glaucoma in his fifties but continued sculpting, working by touch and memory. His pieces often feature "The Lord of the Sirens" and Zapotec women modeled after his wife, Teresita, marked with a signature mole he sculpts onto their foreheads. In 2001, he was named a Grand Master by Fomento Cultural Banamex, and his work has since found its way into collections around the world. It's also become a family trade: Teresita and their children each continue the craft in their own styles.